R&D Conducted or Milestones Met by Dr. Samocha and Team • 2003- Filtration methods for 40m3 raceways with limited water exchange. • 2004- Evaluation of different water exchange rates in 40-m3 raceways. • 2005- More R&D with exchange rates in 40 m3 raceways. • 2006- Diets, molasses use, limited exchange and various exchange rates, stocking 279/m3. • 2007- 530/m3 stocked, 40 m3 raceways, settling tanks. Yields of 9.29 kg/m3. • 2008- Repeat 530/m3 stocked in 40 m3 raceways. Yields above 9 kg/m3. • 2009- Disease resistant animals and fast-growth animals, 450/m3 in 40 m3 raceways with no water exchange. Yields of 9.75 kg/m3.
• 2010- New 100 m3 raceways: 1.4 g/ week weight gain, but high FCR. • 2011- 500/m3 with no water exchange, 9.87 kg/m3 at harvest. • 2012- Biofloc and feed trial optimization, 9.74 kg/m3 in 40 m3 raceways. • 2013- Feed optimization continues to lower FCR for commercialization. • 2014- Feeds optimization continues; Vibrio monitoring; probiotic & nitrifying bacteria evaluation; successful nursery production with a3 injectors, FCR ranging from 0.75 to 6. • 2015- Finalize grant project for National Sea Grant College Program and publish a manual through World Aquaculture Society describing the Flour Bluff Lab’s biofloc culture system in detail.
Dr. Samocha and his team at the Lab in Flour Bluff (Corpus Christi) have developed a cost-effective Biofloc Dominated (BFD) system that fulfills the three pillars of sustainability: Environment, Economy, & Society. His accumulated research on BFD design and operation has resulted in yields of marketable Pacific White Shrimp greater than 9.7 kg/m3 (Samocha et al. 2010. In: Proceedings of the AES Issues Forum, August 18-19, Roanoke, VA.; Magalhães et al. 2013. Abstract, Aquaculture 2013, February 21-25, 2013, Nashville, Tennessee). This is nearly 10 times higher than typical harvests from the unsustainable methods supplying most of the USD$4.5 billion of shrimp imported annually to the U.S. The system is in successful use commercially at Florida Organic Aquaculture, American Mariculture, Global Blue Technologies and a biofloc shrimp nursery at Bowers Shrimp Farm. All four systems, two in Florida and two in Texas, are multi-million dollar investments and are following the biofloc production procedures developed at the Flour Bluff facility. Unlike ponds, the BFD system is bio-secure, highly sustainable, and more amenable to modern seafood traceability protocols. Unlike ponds, it has the potential to contribute to the U.S. supply of high-quality fresh shrimp on a year-round basis in a wholly sustainable manner. A recent study at the AgriLife Research Mariculture Lab showed that the Pacific White Shrimp can be raised to marketable size (> 18.5 g) at high density (530 shrimp/m3) with high yield (>9.3 kg/m3) and good survival (>88%), growth (>1.3 g/wk) and FCR (1:1.3) under zero water discharge. These A&M-supported R&D efforts reached a point at which a detailed description of the BFD system’s design and operation are ready to be communicated beyond the research community to the U.S. commercial aquaculture sector. This is » 25